went on
and made the two companies, then raised a nucleus, from which the 12th was
finally formed.

The two companies were taken to Albany, where we were again examined by a
surgeon as to our fitness to perform military duty, and from there went to
Staten Island.

Authorization papers having been procured for me I was sent on recruiting
service, and was subsequently mustered as 1st Lieutenant of company "I"
Sept. 1st 1862.

We remained on Staten Island all winter perfecting ourselves in the
Cavalry tactics and drill; but before spring the men had become so
dissatisfied with the inactivity on the Island, that by desertions, our
eight companies were reduced to four, and by order of General John E.
Wool, the eight companies were consolidated into four, thus rendering four
Captains and eight Lieutenants supernumerary, who were ordered mustered
out of the service as such. I was among the number so mustered out, but
went to work immediately recruiting more men and was in due time again
mustered in, this time as 2nd Lieutenant of Company "I." With this Company
I joined the regiment at Camp Palmer near Newbern, N. C.

I was soon sent to Plymouth, N. C., on detached service, under General W.
H. Wessels.

On January 25th, 1864, I was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of Co. "F," but
was not able to get to the mustering office, and was therefore not
mustered as such until after my return from prison in 1865, and
consequently could not be promoted to a Captain, as I otherwise should
have been, when a vacancy occurred.

During my service I never lost a day's duty, except once, when I was
disabled by having two of my ribs broken, and my back severely injured,
and never applied for leave of absence, except as a paroled prisoner, as
before stated.

The detachment to which I was assigned were never defeated in any of the
numerous skirmishes while at Plymouth, until the battle of Plymouth, which
lasted four days and in which the enemy acknowledged a loss nearly equal
to the whole number engaged on our side, and in which battle the enemies
force amounted to 8000 and the Ram Albemarle, and ours less than 2000.

LIST OF OFFICERS CONFINED IN MACON, GA.

The following is a list of officers who were confined as prisoners of war
at Macon, Ga., in 1864. I do not claim the list to be complete, but as
nearly so as I can make it at this time:

BRIGADIER-GENERALS.

Wessels,
Shaler,
Seymour,
Scammon,
Hickman.

CO